Florita (magazine)

Cover of Florita no. 247 (c. 1956), art by Vicente Rosó.

Florita was a Spanish girls' comic magazine launched in 1949 by Ediciones Cliper and continued from 1958 by Hispano Americana de Ediciones, running until 1961. It published 590 issues, with the first series spanning issues 1–490 and a second series from 491–590.[1]

Florita was a popular Spanish girls' comic magazine which reflected the emerging modern values of the post‑war middle class and reached a peak circulation of up to 200,000 copies in the late 1950s.[2]

First period: 1949–1958

Encouraged by the success of the adventure comic El Coyote (1947), publisher Germán Plaza began experimenting with other genres. He tried humor with Nicolás (1948), and romantic comics for girls with the launch of Florita in 1949.[3]

The magazine was printed in a 26 × 18 cm format[4] with high-quality printing standards.[5] In addition to comic strips, it featured educational sections. Writer Terenci Moix recalled several of them:[6]

Notable sections

Section title Translation to english Topic
Pequeños defectos que debes corregir “Little defects you should correct” Civility
Creaciones de Florita “Florita's creations” Dresses
Decoración “Decoration” Decorative arts
Vidas ejemplares “Exemplar lifes” Biographies of famous women
Golosinas de Florita “Florita's candies” Cooking
Florita aconseja “Florita advises you” Counseling psychology
Detallitos “Tiny treats” Gifts
Balbuceos “Babblings” Photographs of babies
Year Issue Title Author(s) Notes
1949 1 Florita Vicente Roso
Ripoll G. (1957)
Pérez Fajardo (1958)		 –
– – Belinda Steve Dowling British press strip
1949 1 Juanito, Panchita y Dña Cata Francisco Darnís –
1949 1 Mopsy Gladys Parker U.S. press strip
1949 1 Lalita Pili Blasco –
1953 – Luisa Carmen Barbará[7] –
1954–1958 – Jane Jorge Buxadé –
– – Marcela Jesús Blasco –
– – Lizy – –
– – Pilili Salvador Mestres –
– – Maritina Ripoll G. –
– – Rita ya lo sabía Ripoll G. –
– – Rosy Julio Ribera –
– – Mary Angeles es así Sabatés –
– – Dalia y Dora Dick Brooks –
1955 – Eva y Julieta Jones[8] Stan Drake U.S. press strip
1955 – Mary-Paz Gin Original
1955 – Susi Gin Original
1957 – Lili Hotesse de l'Air Christian Mathelot Inspired Lilian, azafata del aire[9]

Florita became the most popular girls' comic in Spain during the early 1950s,[10] reaching circulation figures of up to 100,000 copies per issue.[3]

In 1952, the magazine received formal authorization from the Dirección General de Prensa (General Directorate of Press) for regular publication, under a new legal framework that governed comic publications in Spain.[11] This new regulation intensified competition, and only the titles that best met the expectations and needs of readers were able to survive.[12]

Florita published a total of 490 issues during its first period.[4]

Second period: 1958–1961

In 1958, the title was acquired by Hispano Americana de Ediciones, which continued publishing Florita for another 100 issues, numbered 491 to 590.[4]

Year Issue Title Author(s) Notes
1958 – Yo te contaré... Carmen Barbará[7] –

Legacy and significance

Florita reflected the aspirations of Spain’s emerging middle class in the postwar years, which sought upward economic and social mobility.[13] It also marked a transition from traditional fairy tale comics to the more modern romance comics genre.[14]

In doing so, it moved away from the autarkic values present in earlier publications such as Azucena or Ardillita.[5]

Following the commercial success of Florita, other publishers introduced similar titles. Ediciones Cliper launched Lupita, while Editorial Valenciana released Mariló. In turn, Consuelo Gil discontinued Mis Chicas and replaced it with Chicas, which targeted an older female readership.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Florita (1949–1961): run of 590 numbered issues, format details". Tebeosfera. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  2. ^ "Un tebeo femenino: Florita (1949‑1961) – cultural significance and readership numbers". Cualia. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
  3. ^ a b Martín (03/1968), p. 130.
  4. ^ a b c Delhom (1989), p. 49.
  5. ^ a b Ramírez (1975), pp. 59–63.
  6. ^ Moix (2007), p. 192.
  7. ^ a b Cuadrado (2000), p. 114.
  8. ^ Ramírez (1975), p. 123.
  9. ^ Ramírez (1975), p. 100.
  10. ^ Moix (2007), p. 187.
  11. ^ Martín (03/1968), p. 134.
  12. ^ a b Ramírez (1975), p. 54.
  13. ^ Moix (2007), pp. 187–189.
  14. ^ Moix (2007), p. 193.

Further reading

  • Cuadrado, Jesús (2000). Atlas español de la cultura popular: De la historieta y su uso 1873–2000. Madrid: Ediciones Sinsentido / Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruipérez. ISBN 84-89384-23-1.
  • Conde Martín, Luis (1973). "Florita". In Trinca, no. 64 (June 15, 1973).
  • Delhom, José María (1989). Catálogo del tebeo en España: 1865–1980. Barcelona: Círculo del Cómic / CESA. ISBN 84-8449-221-4.
  • Martín Martínez, Antonio (1968). "Apuntes para una historia de los tebeos IV: El tebeo, cultura de masas (1946–1963)". In Revista de Educación, no. 197 (March 1968).
  • Moix, Terenci (2007). Historia social del cómic. Barcelona: Ediciones B. ISBN 978-84-02-42030-5.
  • Ramírez, Juan Antonio (1975). El cómic femenino en España: Arte sub y anulación. Madrid: Editorial Cuadernos para el Diálogo. ISBN 84-229-0177-3.
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